The present invention is directed to a diverter mechanism that is adapted to selectively transferring articles from a conveying surface and, in particular, to a right angle transfer mechanism that is adapted to selectively transferring articles at a 90-degree angle.
Because a right angle transfer requires that the motion of an article be changed from a forward motion to a lateral motion, it is important to be able to carry out the transfer as quickly as possible because it is necessary to leave gaps between articles so that an article can be transferred without affecting the forward motion of leading and trailing articles. The faster the transfer, the smaller the gaps and the greater article throughput to the conveyor line. Also, it is desirable to be able to divert a wide range of articles having different surface characteristics in order to increase the flexibility of the system.